625 pages
English language
Published Nov. 8, 2016 by Alfred A. Knopf.
A very clever plot that holds all the way through. Couple this with some rapier like incisiveness and a great command of description and this is a great read. His first novel, hopefully not his last.
DNF
There's a lot to enjoy in this first-time author's book. The characters are interesting and have distinct voices. There's a nice thread of mystery to keep the pages zipping along. At times, it's pretty funny. Overall, great first book!
If I were the editor, the only changes I'd make: I'd tighten up the 1960s protest section of the book - it's good backstory to explain characters, but something about it felt a smidge off-tone with the rest of the book. Same for the ending - for a sticky, zig-zagging story, it wrapped up almost too-smoothly at the end, feeling like an Encyclopedia Brown whodunnit.
That said, those aren't really complaints and they certainly don't stand in the way of the enjoyment of the book. Nathan Hill: well done.
Three and a half stars is more accurate. Such a great first half (plus) but the ending was not as powerful as I'd hoped. Still, a worthwhile read and impressive creative effort by the author.
